In Jesus you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit Ephesians 2:22
We must continue to allow God to create in us a clean heart and renew the right spirit in us.
God can only tear down the building that we have build within ourselves as we give Him permission and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us.
Once God has torn down what we have built on the wrong foundation, He begins a new work of reconstruction and restoration in us, rebuilding and remodeling our old structure removing ourselves as the old headstone, and replacing it with Jesus Christ as our new head cornerstone....
But this can't be done without us totally surrendering to the Holy Spirit, giving Him permission to do so, converting our old building into new creations and new creatures in Christ thus, presenting us before God as a new place acceptable for His holy and pure dwelling place.
he who began a good work in us, will not have this building competed until Jesus comes
If what your friend is saying is true then what is the purpose opf the blood of Christ? Is it not the blood that has made us pure? Is it not the blood that has made us whole? How then do we "allow" God to work in us if the work is done on the cross? How can we become more Holy or more righteous if our righteousness is in the blood of Christ? Our righteousness is as filthy rags is it not? I understand that sanctification is a process that we do-participate in with Spirit but I think our righteousness is secured by the blood not by our sanctification. Is that what your friend is talking about?
I don't think it is realistic or Biblical to believe that only God can make all of the changes in us. It's true that we become a new creation but the changes made in us can be made by us as we learn how to make those changes and come to understand what it means to grow spiritually. Your friend's thinking seems rather linear or two dimensional. What about a persons spiritual growth and ever expanding experience? Is only god responsible for that too? Isn't that the reason we pray and meditate? If god is doing all the work and all we are doing is giving Him permission how is that working together with Him. The Bible says that WITH GOD all things are possible. If we are not with God, working with Him and doing our part then how can all things be possible? How can we be sanctified if God does all the work and we just "allow" it?
No God imputed us the righteousness of His Son to live a GODLY/HOLY life.
This is Christianity.
Our Churches do not teach it.
But that is the main topic of the NT and Jesus in His teaching: HOLY and GODLY life of Christians.
If we do NOT live a godly life then we live in sexual immorality and other sins.
Is it ok to be a son of God and commit such sins?
If it is ok for you then you should know what our God Jesus said:
SEXUAL immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God!
For I tell you that unless your righteousness :angel:SURPASSES that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly NOT enter the kingdom of heaven.
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his OLD sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1
Let's analyze what we all have to possess?
God's divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness!!!
HOW? Through the knowledge of God in the Bible.
God called us by glory and virtue!
God gave us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be PARTAKERS of the DIVINE nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
What we all have to do?
Giving all diligence, add to your faith (1) virtue-behavior showing high moral standards of God
(2) knowledge of God
(3) self-control
(4) perseverance
(5) godliness
(6) brotherly kindness
(7) love:hearts:.
For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to BLINDNESS, and has forgotten that he was CLEANSED from his OLD sins.
If you do these things you will never stumble!
And your entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting :angel:Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
